CPI-M terms Tapasi verdict a ‘conspiracy’

Kolkata, Nov 12 (IANS) The Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M), which leads West Bengal’s ruling Left Front, Wednesday termed as a “conspiracy” the life sentence awarded to its Hooghly district leader Suhrid Dutta in the Tapasi Malik murder case. Alleging that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), probing the death of the 18-year-old Tapasi in 2006, had been “used” in the “conspiracy” against Dutta and the party, the CPI-M state committee appealed to its cadres to sensitise the people about the “canards” being spread by the “enemies” of the Left Front government.

“In the past, our party has moved ahead after defeating the conspiracies hatched against us. The latest example is the conspiracy against Dutta and the entire party,” the state committee said in a release.

“The party can’t accept this verdict. We will see to it that an appeal is made in a higher court,” the release said.

Additional Sessions Judge Amar Kanti Acharya of the fast-track court at Chandannagar in Hooghly district Wednesday awarded life imprisonment to Dutta, secretary of the party’s Singur zonal committee, and another activist Debu Malik for the murder.

The court had convicted the two Tuesday.

The Singur girl’s charred body was found inside the fenced area of Tata Motors’ Nano factory Dec 18, 2006.

Dutta was found guilty of masterminding the murder and criminal conspiracy. Malik was convicted on the charges of murder, criminal conspiracy and manipulating evidence.

Tapasi from Bajemelia village in Singur, about 40 km from here, was an active member of the opposition Trinamool Congress-led Save Farmland Committee that was protesting land acquisition for the Nano project.